Thursday, June 25
Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time – Year A
First Reading – 2 Kings 24:8-17
Jehoi′achin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehush′ta the daughter of Elna′than of Jerusalem. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.
At that time the servants of Nebuchadnez′zar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And Nebuchadnez′zar king of Babylon came to the city, while his servants were besieging it; and Jehoi′achin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign, and carried off all the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the Lord, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the Lord had foretold. He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, except the poorest people of the land. And he carried away Jehoi′achin to Babylon; the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land, he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all
the men of valor, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war. And the king of Babylon made Mattani′ah, Jehoi′achin’s uncle, king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedeki′ah.
Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 79:1-2, 3-5, 8, 9
℟ For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
O God, the heathen have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the air for food, the flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth.
℟ For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
They have poured out their blood like water round about Jerusalem, and there was none to bury them.
We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those round about us.
How long, O Lord? Will you be angry for ever? Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?
℟ For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Do not remember against us the iniquities of our forefathers; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.
℟ For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake!
℟ For the glory of your name, O Lord, deliver us.
Alleluia – John 14:23
℟ Alleluia!
If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
℟ Alleluia!
Gospel – Matthew 7:21-29
“Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’
Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it.” And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition, Ignatius Press, Copyright ⓒ 2006.
